Why don't we make more of our own fuel?

good question. why dont we.

How about you text Barack Obama, and see if he could do anything about it.

There are many ways that waste can be turned into fuels. Some require bacteria while others require energy sources. Desert solar furnaces could be used to destructively distill certain compounds, while solar energy could be converted to electricity to make hydrogen.

There are several problems with putting theory into action.

1. As has been pointed out, cost is a major factor. New technologies cost money.

2. Profit. In our system, investing is not done without there being a LARGE return on the capital. So that the price for such fuels would be beyond the ability of the economy to support.

3.Those with a vested interest in the status quo have been resisting both actively and passively anything that would threaten their power. Remember that money controls information.

4. From a Government study. This study is Very Technical but if you skim over the math and complicated bits it has some interesting conclusions.

"ARE THE ALTERNATIVE ENERGY STRATEGIES ACHIEVABLE?"*

by Alvin M. Weinberg

"But more fundamentally, the underlying assumption in the Peterka theory that the new technology must pay its own way - is probably unjustified. If our society decides to go solar then it can do so: if solar costs

more, then a political decision -to tax other forms or to subsidize the more desirable form -can make this happen. But the main point is that a political decision - a heroic decision as Kenneth Boulding calls it -Would have to be made. This must be recognized as a fundamental constraint or requirement when we try to decide which of the substitute technologies are in fact achievable."

5. It is hard to get a clear substantive picture of the current state of things considering the murky world of science vs pseudo science vs interest groups of all flavors--and yes scientist can be the blindest of us all depending on what they believe... I will leave you with one more source.

1. You can NOT make gasoline out of potatoes.

2. Environmental protection nuts have made it to expensive to drill for most oil in this country.

Yes we could tap into our oil and have cheap motoring again to bring prices DOWN on EVERYTHING so why do the environmentalists have so much say as to stop this, so I think the Goverment should tell them to belt up

You don't see anything morally wrong with feeding food to your car when there are starving people in the world and we have plenty of untapped oil reserves?

Arable land is the world's most valuable resource. Using it to grow minuscule amounts of fuel is stupid when we have coal and oil reserves out the wazzoo.

instead of making fuel we should to try to get new technology to run cars on electricty more effitiently and powerfully.for making fuel we can use lots of things which are not taking care of on large scale as animal waste ,human biodegradable waste to make biogas. using food to make fuel is not agood idea leave it to feed needy people out there in world...

Hmmm.... Distill potatoes... It's called Vodka... Probably never make it to my tank...

You can make synthetic oil from biomass.

I agree We should drill more and make Nuclear plants .